BurmaNet News, July 11, 2008

[Editor]

July 11, 2008 Issue #3509

INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Myanmar junta challenges West to give more cyclone aid
Irrawaddy: Cyclone Nargis offers sobering lessons, says environmentalist
DVB: Burst embankment floods 30,000 acres of farmland

BUSINESS / TRADE
Kaladan: Burma’s security force’s cash in on rain damage

HEALTH / AIDS
Myanmar Times: Healthcare for delta women and children a priority for UNICEF

REGIONAL
IOM: Myanmar: Japan donates US$3 million for post-cyclone roofing

INTERNATIONAL
Reuters: U.N. seeks $300 mln more cyclone aid for Myanmar
Irrawaddy: Gambari meets UN General Assembly President
DPA: ILO slams Myanmar for keeping six "labour activists" in jail
Mizzima News: Additional £17.5 million by DFID to help Burmese cyclone
survivors

OPINION / OTHER
Green Left Weekly: Myanmar: Waiting for Aung San Suu Kyi - Dennis Guild
Irrawaddy: Burmese needs divide the aid industry - Aung Zaw

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

July 11, Agence France Presse
Myanmar junta challenges West to give more cyclone aid

Myanmar's military government Friday challenged Western donors to give
more aid to the cyclone-hit nation, state media reported.

The ruling junta ran an editorial in the official New Light of Myanmar
comparing Western nations' military spending with their aid donations.

"Powerful countries have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on the
Iraqi and Afghanistan issue. How much will they spend on rehabilitation of
the victims to the storm 'Nargis'?" the newspaper editorial said.

The article came a day after the United Nations and aid organisations more
than doubled their appeal from an initial 201 million dollars, now 70
percent funded, to 481.8 million dollars.

The revised appeal is to fund remaining relief needs as well as 103 early
recovery projects.

Cyclone Nargis left 138,000 dead or missing early May and Myanmar
authorities were strongly criticised for blocking emergency aid efforts.

Despite retaining a 400,000-strong army and earning two billion dollars a
year in revenue from natural gas supplies, the junta was slow to rally its
own supplies to the 2.4 million people severely affected by the storm.

The editorial also claimed journalists had falsely reported the extent of
the need in the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta region.

"In practice, make-up and imaginative news stories are contrary to
prevailing objective conditions," the paper said.

"And if such a news story has an impact on the goodwill of the donors,
that will harm the interests of the storm victims," it added.

Despite seeking further aid, the paper claimed life had returned to normal
for cyclone victims, contradicting a joint assessment by the UN and the
Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN last month, which reported only 45 percent of
survivors were receiving food from international aid agencies.

"Victims no longer need to stay in public rest houses, prayer halls of
pagodas, and monasteries en masse ... they are ploughing fields that were
flooded with saltwater.... Fishermen are having a good time with new
fishing boats and fishing nets... schools are now lively with voices of
studies," the paper said.

The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962, refusing to relinquish power to
the opposition led by detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi which won
elections in 1990.

____________________________________

July 11, Irrawaddy
Cyclone Nargis offers sobering lessons, says environmentalist - Violet Cho

A prominent Burmese environmental group has found a silver lining in the
devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis on May 2-3: a growing awareness
among both government officials and ordinary citizens about the need to
pay greater attention to the environment.

“It was a blessing from the sky,” said U Ohn, general secretary of the
Forest Resource Environment Development and Conservation Association
(FREDA). “It was terrible that many people died in the storm, but this
cyclone also provided an effective warning to the stakeholders to open
their eyes to the environment.”

The Rangoon-based FREDA, one of the few local nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) devoted to conserving Burma’s forests, has been
active in establishing mangrove nurseries and installing mangrove
plantations in abandoned paddy lands in the Irrawaddy delta, which bore
the brunt of Nargis’ fury.

U Ohn said that both officials and ordinary Burmese had long taken the
environment for granted, but after Cyclone Nargis, they now know that they
ignore nature’s delicate balance at their own peril.

“This is the direct impact of the failure to protect the environment, so
if we are not initiating efforts to preserve our forests now, we will
definitely face this kind of catastrophe again,” he added.

Burma contains some 34 million hectares of natural forest—the
second-largest area in Southeast Asia after Indonesia—but deforestation in
the Irrawaddy delta region has been catastrophic, with more than 20
percent of mangrove forests having been lost between 1990 and 2000,
according to research done by the Washington-based non-profit organization
Conservation International.

Cyclone Nargis also destroyed many self-sustaining mangrove forests in the
Irrawaddy delta, in addition to the thousands of trees—some of them nearly
a century old—felled by the storm in the former capital, Rangoon.

According to an official from the Department of Garden and Playground
Parks under the Rangoon City Development Committee, around 531 of the more
than 10,000 trees destroyed by the cyclone were more than 50 years old.

The Rangoon-based weekly, 7-Day News, reported on Thursday that Burma’s
military government was planning to use the roots and branches of
cyclone-downed trees collected in the Rangoon municipal area to make
sculptures to be auctioned to local and foreign entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, the local journal Bi-Weekly Eleven reported government plans to
plant more than 30,000 shade-providing trees in cyclone-affected areas.

____________________________________

Jul 11, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burst embankment floods 30,000 acres of farmland

A burst embankment caused by heavy rain in Bago’s Nyaung Lay Pin township
has flooded nearly 30,000 acres of farmland south of the Sittaung river,
local residents said.

A farmer from Nyaung Lay Pin said there had been continuous rain for
almost two weeks.

"The rain has been falling since 28 June and it still hasn't stopped yet,"
the farmer said yesterday.

"An embankment near Natkadaw Khin village to the north of Nyaung Lay Pin
was burst by the rain."

The farmer said inadequate drainage facilities had exacerbated the flooding.

"The flooding was even worse than it was supposed to be because an
embankment on east of Nyaung Lay Pin did not have enough gates to release
the water," the farmer said.

"Now all the rice crops on south of Nyaung Lay Pin are under water because
the government's irrigation department did not do their job properly," he
said.

"Rice plants cannot survive more than four days under water – we need more
seeds to start a new rice plantation to replace those destroyed by the
flooding."

He said township authorities had not done anything to help the flooded
farmlands apart from visiting the site to look at the damage.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

July 11, Kaladan Press Network
Burma’s security force’s cash in on rain damage

Burma’s border security force is engaged in a lucrative business following
damage to the Maungdaw-Buthidaung Road due to heavy rains over the last
two weeks.

Nasaka personnel are carrying passengers on their motorcycles over a
distance of five miles and taking Kyat 10,000 per head on the
Maungdaw-Buthidaung Road . The Nasaka of Maungdaw town has been ferrying
passengers as there are no cars plying on the road due to the damage. The
Naska offers a 15 minute ride on their motorbikes to passengers. They have
not reduced the charges although the passengers have complained to the
concerned authorities, said a trader in Maungdaw town.

The Maungdaw-Buthidaung road was badly damaged due to heavy rain over the
last two weeks. It is 16 miles long of which five miles have been totally
destroyed and vehicles are not able to ply on the road.

Passengers are able to go up to seven miles by car from Maungdaw town and
after that they have to travel five miles on Nasaka's motorcycles. And the
rest four miles distance can be traversed by car again, said a passenger
who went to Buthidaung Town from Maungdaw Town .

Some bridges have also been destroyed from the seven mile point to the 12
mile point. Therefore labourers charge Kyat 500 to carry a 50 kilogram
rice bag over the five mile distance.

Communication problems on the Maungdaw-Buthidaung road have led to a price
hike of essential commodities in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships. People
are in dire straits and the authorities are not bothered, said ex-school
teacher.

Villagers from both townships are forced to repair the Maungdaw-Buthidaung
road without any support from the government. This season is important for
farmers to grow paddy.

The road is a key transportation link between Buthidaung and Maungdaw
townships. Every year during the rainy season the road suffers blockages
and bridges collapse but the authorities neglect to repair them in time.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

July 8-13, Myanmar Times
Healthcare for delta women and children a priority for UNICEF - Khin Myat

When cyclone Nargis tore through Yangon and Ayeyarwady divisions on May 2
and 3, many healthcare specialists feared that the affected areas might
face disease epidemics that could increase the already massive death toll.

More than two months later, however, these fears have failed to materialise.
Mr Ramesh M Shrestha, the representative of the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) in Myanmar, said last week that there have been no major
outbreaks of diarrhoea or dysentery in the storm-hit delta region,
although there have been more cases than normal.

“There are a few more cases of diarrhoea than usual but it’s certainly not
what we expected. We’re happy that things have been managed very well and
are under control,” he told The Myanmar Times.

But he added that more work needed to be done to prevent future outbreaks
because it would “take a long time before the hundreds of thousands of
displaced families are fully settled”.

Mr Shrestha said UNICEF has been working closely with the Ministry of
Health (MOH), Myanmar Red Cross Society and local nongovernmental
organisations such as the Myanmar Nurse and Midwife Association in looking
after the health of cyclone victims.

“We’re working with them by providing mobile clinics so they can go from
place to place and provide necessary healthcare to patients,” he said.
“Also, people from these groups have been working with our team in the
field.”

He said UNICEF has provided pharmaceuticals and medical kits to hospitals
and healthcare centres in the delta, and has helped MOH in its efforts to
immunise children under 10 years of age against measles in the region.

“UNICEF has also been distributing mosquito nets to camps and villages and
providing bleaching powder and lime to stop the breeding of mosquitoes.
This will help prevent outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever,” Mr Shrestha
said.

In order to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases, the UN organisation
has also supported water and sanitation projects and has provided clean
water to households and individuals using water treatment systems and
chlorine tablets.

“We have also been distributing toilet pans, pipes, tarpaulins and tools
for the construction of toilets in camps and villages. As people keep
moving from place to place, their access to toilets is not consistent. But
we are promoting their use in camps and households,” he said.

Another major concern for UNICEF is the health of pregnant women,
including making sure they have a constant supply of nutritious food.

“We have also been distributing delivery kits for pregnant women through
different health institutions,” Mr Shrestha said.

“We are also concerned about mental trauma to pregnant women and children
who lost their parents and families in the cyclone. They will need
psychological support,” he said.

He said UNICEF and the Department of Mental Health under the Ministry of
Health were in discussions on how to address the needs of people who have
suffered through the traumatic events of the past two months.

“We might need to train school teachers on how to handle children who have
been traumatised by the disaster. But the plan requires more work and
research before we finalise it,” Mr Shrestha said.

“I have been in the delta several times and I have seen children and women
who lost everything. It must be very traumatic for them. This is a very
serious issue and we certainly need to do more to address it,” he added.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

July 11, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Myanmar: Japan donates US$3 million for post-cyclone roofing

Japan has pledged US$3 million to IOM to provide new roofs for 6,700 homes
damaged by Cyclone Nargis, which struck the Irrawaddy Delta on May 2nd and
3rd.

The funding, which is part of $10 million donated by Japan for post-Nargis
emergency response and reconstruction, will be used to buy, distribute and
install corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) sheets to replace roofing lost in
the cyclone.

The CGI sheets will be distributed by IOM from four operational hubs in
urban and semi-urban areas of the Delta townships of Bogale, Pyapon and
Mawlamyinegyun and in Mon State. IOM currently has logistics and
warehousing facilities in Bogale, Pyapon and Mon State.

IOM relief operations in the three Delta townships to date include the
deployment of mobile teams providing direct medical aid, and the
distribution of relief items including tarpaulins, hygiene/family kits,
rain ponchos and mosquito nets.

Nine IOM mobile medical teams, using Zodiac inflatables and other boats to
access remote locations, have treated over 17,150 patients in 239 villages
in the three townships since the cyclone.

Other IOM operations currently underway include the distribution 145
portable water purifiers to schools and health clinics, and the arrival
and distribution of some 25,000 plastic tarpaulins ordered by IOM from
suppliers in India over the next two weeks.

Ten temporary tented medical facilities are also being set up, equipped
and staffed by IOM in areas where medical infrastructure was damaged by
the cyclone. The tents will operate as clinics until health services are
properly restored.

In the revised UN Flash Appeal launched in New York yesterday, IOM is
appealing for US$4.65 million for repairing and rebuilding bamboo housing;
US$ 1.94 million to repair, rebuild and rehabilitate primary health
centers and maternity homes; US$ 443,000 to enhance health care service
delivery in remote areas; US$ 1.36 million to deliver mental health
services; US$ 494,000 to reduce HIV vulnerability; and US$ 115,000 to
monitor severely destroyed communities in nine affected townships to
support early recovery.
For more information please contact Chris Lom at IOM's regional office in
Bangkok.
Tel. +66.819275215. Email: clom at iom.int

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

July 11, Reuters
U.N. seeks $300 mln more cyclone aid for Myanmar - Patrick Worsnip

The United Nations appealed on Thursday for more than $300 million in
additional aid for Myanmar to cope with the effects of a cyclone two
months ago that left 138,000 people dead or missing.

Although much aid had already been supplied to some 2.4 million people
seriously affected, "there are many who still remain in need of basic
assistance and urgent support," U.N. humanitarian affairs chief John
Holmes said.

"The challenges are still great and the relief operation is by no means
over," Holmes told U.N. envoys.

Many areas affected by Cyclone Nargis, which struck the Irrawaddy Delta
region on May 2-3, had still not received the level of assistance they
needed, he said.

In the wake of the cyclone, the United Nations appealed for $201 million.
Some $178 million of that has so far been provided, U.N. figures show.

Launching a revised appeal on behalf of 13 U.N. agencies and 23
non-governmental organizations, Holmes said another $280 million was now
being requested for the period until next April. Together with the
shortfall from the first appeal, that meant a total unmet need of $303.6
million.

The money would be spent on more than 100 projects designed to supply
water, sanitation, education, health, food, shelter, agriculture,
telecommunications and logistics.

At their summit in Japan this week, Group of Eight leaders called on
Myanmar's secretive military government to lift remaining restrictions on
the flow of aid and improve access for foreign aid workers, initially shut
out of the country.

Holmes, however, reported "significant progress" on access in the past six
weeks despite some difficulties. During a visit to Myanmar in late May,
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon won a promise from senior general Than
Shwe that foreign aid workers would be allowed in.

Speaking at Thursday's revised appeal, Myanmar's U.N. Ambassador Kyaw Tint
Swe said a disaster of the magnitude of Cyclone Nargis "can only be
addressed with the help and assistance from the international community."

Holmes said the cyclone had destroyed 42 percent of Myanmar's food stocks
and 55 percent of families had stocks for one day or less, meaning food
aid was needed in the affected areas for many months to come.

There was already malnutrition among children in the Delta before the
cyclone, and without supplementary food, some 60,000 children were at risk
of acute malnutrition, he said.

Nearly two thirds of paddy fields in the affected areas had been submerged
by the cyclone and over fourth fifths of seed stocks destroyed. As a
result, some 550,000 metric tonnes of rice could be lost in the coming
season, Holmes said.

____________________________________

July 11, Irrawaddy
Gambari meets UN General Assembly President - Lalit K Jha

UN Special Envoy on Burma Ibrahim Gambari met with the UN General Assembly
president on Thursday to discuss the current political situation in Burma
and the humanitarian response to Cyclone Nargis, which struck the country
in early May.

Gambari, who is scheduled to visit Burma later this month, met with Srgjan
Kerim of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, who was elected
president of the assembly in 2007, to serve a one-year term.

Gambari’s mandate comes from the General Assembly, not from the UN
Security Council or the UN secretary-general.

They discussed the Burmese government’s progress in moving toward
democracy and the humanitarian cooperation between Burma, the UN and Asean
countries, in response to the devastation caused by the cyclone, according
to a spokesperson.

No date has been set for Gambari's visit to Burma.

“As you know, he has a standing invitation,” said a UN spokesperson.
“However, he hasn't decided on a date yet, because it requires quite a bit
of preparation before he goes there."

The General Assembly president said he strongly encourages the Burmese
government to continue to work closely with Gambari to achieve tangible
progress in implementing General Assembly resolutions on Burma.

The spokesperson said Kerim is encouraged by the role played by
neighboring Asean countries and the Groups of Friends of the
secretary-general on Burma.

____________________________________

July 11, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
ILO slams Myanmar for keeping six "labour activists" in jail

The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Friday blasted Myanmar's
Supreme Court for denying an appeal by six activists to overturn their
lengthy jail sentences for attending a Labour Day event.

Thurein Aung, Wai Lin, Kyaw Min, Myo Min, Nyi Nyi Zaw and Kyaw Kyaw were
arrested on May 1, 2007, after attending a Labour Day function at the
American Centre of the US Embassy in Yangon.

A Myanmar court sentenced Nyi Nyi Zaw and Kyaw Kyaw to 20 years in jail
and the other four to 28 years for assembling at a public place without
authorization.

Myanmar's Supreme Court on June 27, this year, turned down an appeal by
the six to reduce their lengthy jail terms for such a minor offence, said
their lawyer Aung Thein.

"It was our hope that their appeal to the Supreme Court would result in
the quashing of their sentences and their immediate release," said Kari
Tapiola, ILO executive director in charge of standards and fundamental
principles of rights at work.

"It would have been hoped that in view of the government of Myanmar's
publicly expressed intent to take the country into general elections in
2010, that the fundamental freedom of association rights would be
respected," added Tapiola.

Having recently pushed through a constitution that will assure the
military's control over any elected government, Myanmar's ruling junta has
promised to hold polls sometime in 2010.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. The
government has one of the world's worst records in human rights and labour
rights abuses.

____________________________________

July 11, Mizzima News
Additional £17.5 million by DFID to help Burmese cyclone survivors - Solomon

United Kingdom 's Department for International Development (DFID) on
Wednesday announced that it will provide an additional £17.5 million to
help cyclone victims, adding to a total of £ 45 million in aid since
Cyclone Nargis lashed Burma two months ago.

David Leslie, spokesman of DFID said the donation will be handed over on
Thursday during a United Nations' flash appeal in New York to aid groups
working in Burma 's Irrawaddy and Rangoon division.

United Nations aid agencies as well as several other international
humanitarian groups have said emergency relief works and reconstruction
programmes could come to halt unless more funds are provided.

The United Nations World Food Programme has said it requires US$ 28
million more to keep its six-month programme running.

The International Federation of Red Cross on Wednesday said it needed US$
72.5 million to fund its three-year relief plans which will include
emergency relief as well as long term reconstruction programmes.

Alistair Henley, head of the IFRC's Asia Pacific Zone said hundreds of
thousands of Burmese people in the Irrawaddy and Rangoon division have
been living precarious lives long before the cyclone hit them.

"Nargis has left them weaker and more vulnerable than ever. We must ensure
not only that they regain what they lost but have improved and safer lives
in the future," Henley said.

Leslie said, the DFID has decided to provide additional funds as a
response to the flash appeal by the UN and international humanitarian
groups.

Douglas Alexander, Secretary of DFID, in a statement on Wednesday said,
"While access has improved and the rate of delivery of relief goods
continues to increase, we believe that around 300,000 people are at quite
serious risk if they do not get more help soon."

Leslie said, "We will wait and see what the flash appeal contains today,
and then we will make an assessment where the money will go."

"We have assessment teams in Burma , they are looking at where the fund is
needed for each organization," he added.

On May 2 and 3, Cyclone Nargis hit Burma's coastal divisions of Irrawaddy
and Rangoon, leaving more than 138,000 dead and missing and devastated
over 2.4 million people's lives.

Following the natural disaster in Burma , DFID immediately announced £5
million in aid and an additional £12 million on May 15. The DFID
announced a further £10.5 million donation following the ASEAN/UN
pledging conference in Rangoon on May 25, which Douglas Alexander
attended.

Burma 's military government, however, has appealed for US$ 11 billion in
aid to fund emergency relief works and reconstruction in the cyclone
affected region.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

July 10, Green Left Weekly (radical newspaper)
Myanmar: Waiting for Aung San Suu Kyi - Dennis Guild

A picture provided by Myanmar News Agency shows detained democracy leader
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (left) shaking hands with Myanmar's labor minister
prior to their meeting in Yangon in November. (Photo: STR / AFP-Getty
Images)

The last time I saw Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, general secretary of Myanmar's
National League for Democracy (N.L.D.), was in 1996.

Aung San Suu Kyi was then under house arrest, but this did not stop her
from addressing a crowd of thousands who came regularly to hear her "voice
of hope" every Saturday outside her house on University Avenue in Yangoon,
formerly Rangoon.

Aung San Suu Kyi looked at ease as she spoke to a crowd that obviously
adored her. It was then that I decided to learn more about the N.L.D. and
why the ruling junta, which overwhelmingly lost the democratic vote to the
Aung San Suu Kyi-led N.L.D. in 1990, had not respected the voice of the
people.

I returned to Myanmar, formerly Burma, in 2003, and became mired in the
jungle of bureaucracy.

"No, you cannot buy tickets for Bhamo, it is out of bounds for
foreigners," the official behind the counter at Myanma Airways declared.
"The Lonely Planet says Bhamo is now open, you must sell us a ticket," I
insisted.

The official examined the guidebook carefully, showed his superiors,
before returning to declare, "I am sorry sir, you must gain a permit from
the Ministry of Defense," a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) taxi trip from the
city.

I asked to speak to the manager and minutes later, I am being directed
outside the building, along the road and back inside another building,
that backs onto the same building I have just left. I sat and patiently
waited. Finally, a man dressed in army uniform entered from the street. He
asked, "Why do you want to travel to Bhamo?"

"I want to catch the ferry to Mandalay," I replied. "O.K., I will
authorize the tickets," he said. As we left, I asked who he was. He said,
"U Kyaw Myint, deputy minister for transport."
Disappeared

Bhamo is situated some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Chinese border on
the banks of the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State. Foreigners are forbidden
to travel more than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the city center.

Forbidden, perhaps, because January is poppy season, when the flowers open
to reveal an orb that is lanced to extract opium.

A local we spoke to told of people who simply disappeared if they opposed
the rule of the junta; their relatives are imprisoned. Similar tales of
intimidation were echoed throughout our journey on the road to Mandalay,
Bagan, and Taunggyi.

A human rights worker in Mandalay spoke of the daily struggle to buy food.
She said a hotel worker was jailed just for dining with Westerners and, on
release, forbidden to work in the industry.

An academic in Taunggyi likened Australia's "constructive engagement" with
the junta to "watering a poisonous plant." He said Australia was wasting
its time and money on a regime that was not committed to political
reconciliation. "There will be no improvement in Myanmar without regime
change
"

Aung San Suu Kyi seemingly agreed when she referred to the Australian
sponsored "human rights program" designed to improve rights for Burmese as
"a fox looking after the chickens," as most involved in the program were
from the military.

Back in Yangoon, we looked forward to our meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi.
Under the shadow of the majestic Shwedagon pagoda, the N.L.D. headquarters
on Shwegon Road is inconspicuous—a teak shop on one side and a residence
on the other. Across the road, small shops among trees are usually staked
out by military intelligence, ready with their Nikon cameras and
walkie-talkies.

The atmosphere inside is electric. A young man approached us smiling,
reached into his pocket, and "awarded" us N.L.D. badges (depicting the
golden peacock and Aung San Suu Kyi), which we pinned to our lapels. He
informed us sadly that Aung San Suu Kyi was in hospital that day
undergoing an operation so we could not see her. But we were quite welcome
to interview her spokesperson, U Lwin.

While we waited, we learned that the N.L.D. headquarters also served as a
venue for social service provision. Some 100 babies come monthly to be
weighed, fed, and given vitamins, while their parents receive tuition on
early childcare. One volunteer mentioned that almost half the children in
Myanmar suffer from malnutrition. The N.L.D. also conducts biweekly
adult/children education classes.

An elderly man in his late 70's appeared and slowly, with the aid of a
walking stick, made his way up the teak staircase. U Lwin had arrived.

We were summoned to join him in his office. His English was polished as he
spoke at length about the years of struggle and oppression endured by the
Burmese people. "The N.L.D. has tried to engage the junta in dialogue
regarding peaceful negotiations and reconciliation but these have been
sabotaged by the regime," he said. "Ms. Suu Kyi's latest attempt at
engaging ASEAN leaders as possible arbitrators was fruitless, as the junta
cancelled Malaysian P.M. Mahathir's meeting with her late last year."
Australian Complicity

The next day we returned to the N.L.D. office and were fortunate to be
able to talk to U Tin U (Oo), N.L.D. vice-chairperson. Tin U, also
currently under house arrest, assured us we were in no danger as Australia
and China had "most favored nation" status with the junta. "They won't
touch you," he said.

He spoke vehemently of the 1,200 Burmese imprisoned for their political
beliefs. Tin U was highly critical of Australia's ongoing "constructive
engagement" human rights workshops with the regime—criticism he said the
Australian ambassador in Yangoon agrees with.

"The problem is, this program of the Australian government makes a lot of
people outside Burma think that the junta is doing everything in
accordance with the universal declaration of human rights, but this is not
accurate, as underneath there is a lot of oppression and many violations
of human rights."

I have since visited Myanmar in 2005, when I traveled to Kengtung, and
also Tachilek in 2008. The oppression of the Burmese people remains,
forcing many to take refuge in Thailand where there are more than 150,000
Burmese in refugee camps, and where more than 2 million survive as migrant
workers.

Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest, extended for another year, in
Yangoon where she has not been allowed to see her doctor since January.
She survives in a house that was badly damaged by Cyclone Nargis.

June 19 was her 63rd birthday. Let us hope the world will place principle
before profit and help free Aung San Suu Kyi and her people before she
turns 64.

____________________________________

July 10, Irrawaddy
Burmese needs divide the aid industry - Aung Zaw

If the deadly Cylone Nargis helped create a greater humanitarian space
inside Burma, it would be welcome news indeed. More aid and more relief
workers should be able to enter Burma and assist the Burmese.

John Holmes, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, has told
a press conference: “The relief operation is proceeding. The access for
international humanitarian relief workers has improved markedly over the
last six weeks; though we are still working on that. But, I think, we have
made distinct progress.”

Questioned about access to the Irrawaddy delta, Holmes said conditions had
changed a lot and relief workers were being allowed to go there—“Not
unlimited as we would like, but it is improving all the time. Access is
improving and is being made easier.”

Cyclone Nargis and its aftermath are doubtless a mega challenge for every
humanitarian group. UN agencies and international non-governmental
organizations (INGOs), who have previously played only a limited role in
helping the needy, can now sense that their post-cyclone efforts could be
expanded beyond the delta.

If the generals are smart enough to relate to UN and international
agencies and open more doors to them, more aid will flood into Burma.

Many INGOs are waiting for the opportunity to work inside the country and
to have more access to the local population. INGOs engaged in a wide range
of work have their own agenda in advancing their operations inside the
country.

Perhaps the opportunity now arises for the international community to
create a space inside Burma to open up local communities and work with
them.

Despite a measure of optimism, shared by John Holmes, much skepticism
remains about the regime’s policy toward the UN and INGOs.

Wider implications also come into play. Because of the attention claimed
by Cyclone Nargis, it is feared that there will be less money available to
help more than 100,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the
Thai-Burmese border. Some observers express concern that border-based
projects and cross-border operations will be jeopardized.

In recent years there has been a shift in the attention given to the
plight of the refugees and in the flow of aid.

Burma watchers say that after the Global Fund stopped funding the fight
inside Burma against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in 2005, bitter
competition over funding developed between INGOS working inside and
outside the country.

The Global Fund, which had pledged US $100 million over five years, said
it halted its Burma program because of increased travel restrictions
inside the country made it difficult for aid workers to function properly,
although political reasons were also reported to be behind the decision.

The Three Diseases (3-D) Fund took over the fight to control Burma’s three
main killer diseases, but competition between the INGOs over territory and
funding continues. Concern deepens that long-established humanitarian
projects will be neglected and refugees and migrants will be left alone
and unprotected.

There has never been much love lost between groups working inside Burma
and those outside the country. Border-based INGOs accuse those working
within the country of allowing themselves to be compromised by the regime
and even kowtowing to the junta, mixing politics and humanitarian
concerns.

There are even reports of rowdy INGO parties in Rangoon’s luxury hotels.
“My downtown hotel was packed with INGO workers and the bar was doing
great business,” one US philanthropist told The Irrawaddy. “There were
young aid workers there who had never stayed in such a hotel and who
seemed to forget why they were there at all.”

A similar scene has been reported by some visitors to the Thai-Burmese
border town of Mae Sot, which also has a lively night-life.

The foreign aid workers and policy makers advocating Burma-based projects
often accuse border-based NGOs of being narrow-minded, political, divisive
and of exploiting local communities for religious and political purposes.

They claim that those with vested interests want to keep refugees in the
camps—security officials, rebel and political groups are anxious to
maintain the status quo and even rice traders with lucrative deals to
supply the camps.

It is indeed ironic that while more than 2 million Burmese are living and
working in Thailand, 100,000 refugees continue to live in the camps.

Relief missions working within Burma insist that more assistance is needed
there given the degree of poverty and the large population. Refugees in
the border camps, they claim, are better off than people in the rural
areas of Burma. Cross-border aid is just throwing water into the sand,
they maintain.

Although the division between the two groups doubtless has an impact on
local communities who really are in need of assistance, there’s no sign of
a reconciliation of views.

At the same time, cooperation and communication between Burmese living on
the border and those inside the country have increased and intensified.

Burmese have been traveling in and out of Burma, establishing contacts and
building networks and making friends. Exiled Burmese have organized
fund-raising ceremonies and contributed donations to causes inside Burma.

Several influential Buddhist monks inside and outside Burma have
cooperated in raising money to help people in the affected areas.

Cyclone Nargis swept away the old divisions. There is no more “inside” and
“outside.”

After all, Burma is a poor and crisis-torn country and a perfect place for
“emergency cowboys”, consultants, international foundations and the UN to
work.

For the past 20 years, relief workers of all kinds have been coming and
going, but at the end of the day it is the Burmese who have to work to
rebuild the country.

The relief workers thrive on crisis. Cyclone Nargis and its aftermath will
soon be no longer an emergency that warranted huge international aid. The
aid machine will move on, propelled by many who are building careers on
crisis management.

They will leave behind the true crisis managers—the Burmese themselves, on
whose shoulders falls the greatest weight of reconstructing their
shattered country.